This invention relates to stoppers for sealing medication containers from which medication is drawn into a syringe.
Many prior art patents disclose medication containers sealed by stoppers adapted to be pierced by hypodermic needles or sharp spikes to permit access to the medication in the container. The following U.S. patents are examples of such prior art:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,908,274 Bujan 1959 3,378,008 Ogle 1968 3,941,171 Ogle 1976 4,089,432 Crankshaw et al 1978 4,274,543 Braymer, Jr. et al 1981 4,392,851 Elias 1983 4,516,967 Kopfer 1985 4,552,277 Richardson et al 1985 4,863,049 Suzuki et al 1989 4,869,384 Ogle, II 1989 ______________________________________
The hypodermic needles or sharp spikes are dangerous because of possible unintended finger and hand punctures from accidental contact with the sharp points of those devices. Such punctures can result in possible exposure to hazardous drugs, or to dangerous viruses, such as hepatitis or AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), carried by the hypodermic needle or spike.
Moreover, the hypodermic needles of the prior art devices are used for both mixing and injection of medication into a patient, a Y-site, or an intravenous (IV) bag. Accordingly, only relatively small-diameter needles can be used. That often makes withdrawal of the medication slow and difficult, especially when the medication is a powder, which must be mixed with a liquid before use. The sharp spikes of the prior art devices have large internal diameters, which make mixing faster and easier, but the large spike cannot be used on a patient, or repeatedly at a Y-site, or the like.